Safety clutch



June 15, 1948. WEBER 2,443,213

SAFETY CLUTCH Filed June 16, 1944 s chard Weber 77; ORNEV Patented June15, 1948 SAFETY CLUTCH Leonard J. Weber, United States Army, JerseyCity, N. J.

Application June 16, 1944, Serial No, 540,653 7 1 Claim. (01; 6429)(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 3700. G. 757) The invention described herein, if patented, may bemanufactured and used by or for the Government for governmentalpurposes, without payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to safety clutches, and more particularly to asafety slip clutch for connecting a driving member with a driven memberin timed relation, and means for clutching said members together in suchmanner that in the event an excessive load is imposed on the drivenmember, the members are automatically disconnected, and can bere-engaged only in the same relationship existent when disconnected. Theclutch is capable, therefore, of insuring the proper timing relationshipbetween the two members, as well as avoiding damage to equipment orinjury to personnel.

The specific form of clutch here shown relates primarily to oneparticularly adapted for use in a bakery loading drum mechanism whichfeeds dough from a rounder to the pockets of an intermediate proofer.This mechanism is intermittently driven to provide a definite number ofhesitation periods per revolution of the drive shaft for the purpose ofdischarging dough, and the invention provides means whereby the drivingand driven components may be operably connected only when apredetermined angular relationship exists therebetween.

The specific problem confronting the industry, and solved by thisinvention is to provide an automatic disengageable clutch in a mechanismwherein a loading drum feeds dough into a series of pockets in theproofer and each pocket consisting of four compartments.

The complete mechanism is driven and timed to provide a hesitationperiod at each quarter revolution, and during such periods dough isautomatically loaded onto the drum and discharged into the compartments.

An object of this invention is to provide a mechanism that may beinstalled at low cost in operable relation with any driving member,where it is desired to interpose a safety clutch between the drivingmember and a driven member to prevent damage to equipment or injury topersonnel.

A further object of this invention is to provide a safety clutchmechanism that may be interposed between a driving member and a drivenmember, the clutching components being automatically releasable onoverloading, and which can operably reengage only when a predeterminedangular relation is established between the driving member and drivenmember.

A further object of this invention is to provide a simple, durable,inexpensive, and efiicient safety clutch mechanism, wherein many of theparts are formed of stock materials and are relatively simple inconstruction. These components require only a minimum of machine Work,and they can .be readily constructed and expediently assembled at lowcost by unskilled labor.

With the foregoing'and other objects in View, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangements of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed. It is understood that various changes in form,proportions and minor details of construction may be made within thescope of the claim Without departing from the spirit or sacrificing anyadvantages of the invention.

For a complete disclosure of the invention, a detailed descriptionthereof will now be given in connection with the drawings forming a partof the specification, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational view showing the invention connected inoperable relation with a driving. member and a driven member,

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 3.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1,and

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

In the drawings, wherein like members are given the same referencenumbers, there is depicted an assembly consisting of an outer disk Imade from suitable rigid materials, such as iron,

steel, or the like, having integrally attached thereto a flange orsleeve 2. The sleeve has a concentric aperture 4 which accuratelyreceives a drive shaft 5 which is rigidly secured thereto by a set screw6, or other suitable means, such as welding, keying, or the like. Nearthe periphery of the disk I, there are a plurality of apertures I havingbolts 8 inserted therethrough to a rigid ring til, of suitable materialsuch as steel, iron or the like, and having apertures formed thereinwhich are so spaced as to align with and accurately receive the bolts 8,thereby attaching the ring It! to the disk l, and holding it rigidly inspaced relation thereto by spacers 9 surrounding the bolts 8.

Between the outer disk I and the rigidly supported ring I0, there isinterposed an inner disk l2 having a diameter larger than the insidediameter of the ring It). On the face of this inner disk [2, degreesapart and at unequal radii from the center, are three projections l5a,I51), and. I50,

93, preferably in the form of coil springs, each spring having one pointof compression directed against the face of the inner disk l2 and theother point of compression directed against. the beltv nuts 3. On theinside face of theouter dishl, there are shallow spherical recesses Ha,lib and He which are axially aligned with'the plungers it so that therounded or spherical extremities of the plungers M are urged towards therecesses therein by the yielding member iii.

A driven shaft 2| having a turned down or reduced extremity 2 3 isinserted through an aper- I ture I9 formed in the central flangeorJsleeve. I8 of the inner disk [2, and the reduced extremity 2 4 isinserted into the recess 23nformed in the driving'shaft 5, therebyinsuring proper. align:- ing of the clutchmembers. The inner disk-1221ssecured'to the driven shaft 2| by means of a set screw 2%, or othersuitable securing means.

In the operation of the invention, its utility in a relatively lowgeared mechanism employed in the bakery industry will-be firstdisclosed. Under such conditions the driving shaft. 5 is rotatablysupported by a bearing block 25, and it is connected to an independentsource of" power having a timing device providing'four hesitationperiods per revolution of the shaft; The shaft 5 is connected throughthe interposed clutch mechanism to the driven 'shaftZ L. The shaft. 2!is rotatably supportedin a'bear ingblock 25 and it is connected to aloading drum 2'2 which functions to discharge doughinto an intermediateproofer, not shown, on each'hesitation, Should any object, such as ahand brush-Ora man s arm, get caught in thedrum 22,; thereby placing anoverload on the mechanism, the disk l andring M) will continue totu'rnwith-the driving shaft-5, whereas th inner disk l'2 beingattached-to the driven shaft 2!, will tend to stop; thereby forcing theplungers- [4' out of the depressions if. Due to the discloseddisposition otthe'plung ers M and depressions H, the clutch'cannot bereengaged until thecompletion of one revolution of the driving shaftfirelative to the driven shaft 2!, at which time the depressions: ll arealigned with the respective plunger-s H In this relationship thespherical terminals of the bolts M are thrust by the force ofthe springsl-3 into the recesses H, thereby operably connectingthe driving anddriven components. In low geared equipment of this type, the timerequired for the drive shaft 5 to completeone-revolutionis-ample topermit removal of theobstruction from the drum 22.

In a high geared mechanism, one revolution of the drive shaft 5 does notafford suflicient time for a person toremove an obstruction or extricatehis arm from the drum 22. Optional means are provided, therefore, in theclutch when utilized with-such high-geared equipment. In order to holdthe plungers Hi out et-engagement with the depressions I? after releasetherefrom, an annular recess 27 is formed in each of the plungers I l.In each projectionifia, I512 and 550, there is formed an internallythreaded aperture 28 which receives an assembly consistn gh: a pin 29having flanges performingthe function of a guide. A coil spring 30surrounds the pin '29- and rests on the flanges, and anexternally-threaded plate 3| having a central hole to permit the pin 29to protrude therethrough when the plate3l is screwed into the aperture-28. When this assembly is employed, the pin 29 is urged against theplungers I4 by the spring 3d; and, when the bolts 4,3118; ;forced bacl;;0n releasing thewclutch, he annu arigrqoi fiezl re ali ned with: the pns, 2e which. a e urgedrtherev in to prevent further 1 axial movement o;-the plungersx. M; The drivingmembers 1 cont rotate, whereas the drivenmembe s remain After; the, obstructionisremovedrfrom thegdruin,

the pins z narepulledoutwardly, thusfper ittime ,thepluneers :14 toautomatically mov i-nto their respective depr ssions. I as;-. eona ;etbeare-again aligned;

Having thusldes ribedithe inv nt on what-is claimed, is: t t,

In: combination, a. tatab e r ve driven dis spaced fromsaid r vefiiiek nT able; about. the; axis of, id-d e di h. a; n1 rality of recesses onthe inner face atone-ofdisks a plurali y. of lungem i". other; of S id-iisks oreneaeine; a d form. a dr vina nnee ionb tw coi spr n ss c a ed;with; a e-r ns each plun er o n age one of s oneofas i zdisk ib nel fmaller (11a, hebther f dz'disks, arineiengasin "er ae o the smaller dih, bolts interconn c m sald ring; with-thefllarger ofsaidrdisk "rot ionerew h n Prov iee se ran-n e:

n ramwere.

ers and;springs.-

CITED,

The; following: references are-..of:. recerd in) the filelof; this,patent:

U ED: creme-PATENTS:

